Living

It's okay if you can't clean the house. It's okay if you can't go to dinner with your friends. It's okay if you're not who you used to be. If...

In the midst of a horrible flare-up, I turned to the Facebook communities for AS patients that I'm a part of. Most of the time, I'm just looking to share...

Hindsight is 20/20. And that's definitely the case for me and my husband, Keegan. He was diagnosed 7 years ago with ankylosing spondylitis after 7 years of undiagnosed pain and...

When a flare-up is about to happen, there are a few tell-tale signs I always experience. I’ve had axial spondyloarthritis for about 10 years, although it’s been really active for...

I've been in the worst flare-up for the past week or so. My pain levels are steadily sitting between seven and 10, and it's not showing many signs of letting...

I’ve been struggling lately. Things haven’t been going my way for quite some time now, and it’s really begun to take a toll on me emotionally. I’d say the beginning...

Looking back on my life, it's always strange to think about what it was like in college. Keegan, my husband with AS, was just beginning to show symptoms. We studied...

Whenever my period is on its way, I know the true (monthly) battle is beginning. Not only do I contend with the fatigue and pain from ankylosing spondylitis (or radiographic...

Outsiders could be forgiven for mistaking the constant parade of advertisements for treatments for arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis for proof that the war is over. Taken together...

Editors note: This is part 2 of Jed's interview, and part 1 can be found here. If you didn’t read “Part 1” yet, Brenda (32) is diagnosed with RA, while...

The holidays are a time for family, for gathering and catching-up and enjoying the company of our loved ones. Living away from family, the holidays are one of the few...

I have recently changed rheumatologists. I have been living with AxSpA for seven years, if we don’t count the years I had symptoms but was not diagnosed with a particular...

I turned 35 on November 3 (yes, election day, and no — that wasn't ideal at all, ha!). The night before — before midnight — I got into the bath...

I've said it a million times, and I'll probably say it a million more; the chronic illness community is one like no other. There is so much love and support...

I’m writing this in October, the 70th month of 2020, in the year of our Despotic Overlord COVID-19. The pandemic has shoved 2020 into the record books as a year...

I remember the moment when the doctor's office called Keegan, my husband, to tell him of his AxSpA diagnosis. I remember it was rainy that day, and I had just...

Finding an effective medication for any chronic disease can be a challenge for both patient and doctor. Before I got sick myself, it seemed simple enough: Just match up the...

I wanted to interview my two closest friends to see how my AS affects them. How do they feel when I’m in a flare-up? I know how I feel, but...

2020 has been an interesting year, to say the least. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a global response and altered the day-to-day lives of people across the world. One thing I’ve...

When I got seriously sick and diagnosed with axial spondyloarthritis in 2017 — I mean, I'd had symptoms (uveitis, fatigue, stomach issues, light back pain) for a decade but we...